MANILA – De La Salle University Lady Spikers clawed back from a set down to beat National University Lady Bulldogs, 18-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13, in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball finals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Bacolodnon Angel Canino tallied 21 points to go with 14 excellent receptions, while Thea Gagate chipped in 17 points including a match-best four blocks of their 16 total rejections for the Lady Spikers.
Ahead by just two in the fourth set, Canino and Gagate scored back-to-back to send the Lady Spikers to set point but Lady Bulldogs’ Evangeline Alinsug kept their team alive but an error by teammate Mhicaela Belen sent the match to a decider.
In the fifth set, the Lady Spikers had a strong start behind Gagate as they built a 13-9 advantage but the Lady Bulldogs got consecutive points from Alyssa Solomon to cut the deficit to 12-13.
Canino then came through with a combination play on the Lady Spikers’ third try to reach match point at 14-12 but Belen kept the Lady Bulldogs alive with an off-the-block spike, 14-13.
Then the costliest of the Lady Bulldogs’ eight errors in the fifth frame happened as Joyme Cagande’s set for Chams Maaya was too low, resulting in the latter’s attack not going over the net to allow De La Salle to escape with the win.
“Masaya nakuha namin yung Game 1 kahit papaano pinaghirapan. Siguro talagang ginusto ng mga bata manalo since we’re down two sets to one, fourth set kinapitan hanggang fifth set,” said De La Salle assistant coach Noel Orcullo.
“Sabi nga namin, makuha lang yung fourth set kapitan natin yung fifth set. At least pinakita naman ng mga bata na gusto nilang manalo,” the lead deputy of DLSU head coach Ramil de Jesus added.
Solomon and Belen carried much of the offensive responsibilities of the Lady Bulldogs with 28 and 22 points, respectively. The latter also notched 14 excellent receptions and 12 digs.
The Lady Spikers will go for their 12th UAAP women’s volleyball title overall against the defending champions Lady Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon, May 14, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City./PN
